DELEGATION WATCH: Hutchison called fit for Oval Office

She rules out presidential bid despite 'election' on nonpartisan group's Web site

SAMANTHA LEVINE, Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

Published
6:30 am CST, Sunday, February 19, 2006

WASHINGTON - Should Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison run for president? Folks at the nonpartisan White House Project, which advocates for women to take leadership roles in politics, think so.

The organization's new list of viable contenders for the 2008 presidential ticket include Hutchison, three other leading GOP women and four powerful female Democrats. Starting today, people will be able to vote on the Web site www.thewhitehouseproject.org for their choice. But each vote won't really count.

"I'm not running in '08, but I've certainly thought about it," Hutchison said. "I'm not going to be able to do the travel needed for the run-up to the campaign, with my children at their age."

Hutchison, who is seeking re-election to the Senate this year, has two adopted children, age 4.

"I feel it is absolutely open to a woman, and if I have the right ideas and am the best candidate, I could win," she said of the presidency.

White House Project President Marie Wilson said that "what's important to us is that we get women out there. (Hutchison) is somebody who could eventually run for the presidency."

Texans addressing hurricane issues

House Democrats Al Green and
Sheila Jackson Lee
, both of Houston, and
Eddie Bernice Johnson
, of Dallas, are on a new Democratic task force aiming to fix the government problems uncovered by Hurricane Katrina.

Last week, a GOP-led House committee unveiled a report highly critical of the government's response to the storm.

The 13-member Democratic Task Force on Hurricane Katrina "will have the time necessary to look deeper than others have looked. Given the time and the opportunity, we will come to some conclusions that possibly others may not have," Green said.